Horizon: An American Saga - Review: An Ambitious, Unfinished Tapestry of the Untamed West

Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 (2024)

An Ambitious, Unfinished Tapestry of the Untamed West

★★★☆☆

An impressive and brutal epic that suffers from its own massive scale and incomplete narrative.

Release Date

June 28, 2024

Rotten Tomatoes

51%

Letterboxd Score

3.1/5

Running Time

3h 1m

Official Synopsis

Spanning the four years of the American Civil War, from 1861 to 1865, Kevin Costner’s ambitious cinematic event explores the lure of the Old West and how it was won and lost, through the blood, sweat, and tears of many. Following multiple storylines across a lawless frontier landscape, this sweeping Western epic charts the perilous journeys of settlers, indigenous tribes, and opportunists clashing over the promise of a legendary settlement named Horizon.

Expanded Ensemble

• Kevin Costner as Hayes Hayes
• Sienna Miller as Frances Kittredge
• Sam Worthington as First Lt. Trent Gephardt
• Jena Malone as Ellen Harvey / Lucy
• Michael Rooker as Sgt. Major Thomas Riordan
• Abbey Lee as Marigold

Expanded Architects

• Director: Kevin Costner
• Screenplay: Jon Baird, Kevin Costner
• Producers: Kevin Costner, Howard Kaplan, Mark Gillard
• Cinematography: J. Michael Muro
• Film Editor: Miklos Wright
• Music Composer: John Debney

Official Promotional Trailer

Production Info & Specifications

Financial Budget	$50 Million (Estimated)
Capture Format	Digital (RED V-Raptor XL) / 2.39:1 Anamorphic Layout
Primary Locations	Moab and St. George, Utah, USA
Production Label	Warner Bros. Pictures • New Line Cinema • Territory Pictures

"There is not even a cliffhanger or natural chapter ending to the movie. It abruptly ends with an awkward montage of the next chapter in the saga, which gives the film a feeling of being incomplete."

— Ray Manukay

🎬 Cast & Crew

• Director/Writer: Kevin Costner
• Starring: Kevin Costner, Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington
• Supporting: Giovanni Ribisi, Jena Malone, Abbey Lee
• Cinematography: J. Michael Muro

The Vision

Costner clearly draws inspiration from the sprawling format of Lonesome Dove and How the West Was Won, aiming to create a generational epic. His commitment to the theatrical format for such a dense story is admirable, but it clashes with modern viewing habits; many will feel this belongs on a streaming platform as a limited series. However, for true fans of the genre, what is on display is riveting and entertaining, providing a cinematic experience that benefits from being shared with a community in a theater.

🎬 Cinephile Fun Facts

• Self-Funded Passion: Kevin Costner partially self-funded the $100M+ budget for the first two chapters, famously mortgaging his own beachfront property to see his 30-year dream realized.
• Epic Scope: The saga is intended to be told across four separate films, making it one of the most ambitious original Western projects in Hollywood history.
• Production Hub: The film was shot extensively in Utah, utilizing the state's iconic landscapes to recreate the diverse settings of the American frontier.

✅ Pros

• Stunning, large-scale epic visuals that demand a big screen.
• Riveting and entertaining for dedicated fans of the Western genre.
• Classic, steady direction from a master of the genre.

❌ Cons

• Ends mid-story with no natural conclusion or cliffhanger.
• The awkward montage finale gives the film an "incomplete" feel.
• Multiple storylines can feel unwieldy and difficult to track.
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The Full Analysis

Horizon: An American Saga is a classic Western tale from filmmaker Kevin Costner that depicts the trials, ambitions, and resilience of Americans attempting to settle the untamed West. It provides an impressive, yet brutal look at a multi-faceted chronicle covering the Civil War expansion. The film is undeniably ambitious, perhaps even too much so, as many critics and audience members have suggested that the material might belong on television or streaming platforms. However, it is hard to fault Costner for utilizing the big-screen format to highlight the epic visuals, as the film clearly benefits from being watched within a community of people.

Despite the grandeur, the multiple-story format feels unwieldy for a standard movie length, even for a multi-chapter tale. While there is precedent for this format in Westerns like Lonesome Dove and How the West Was Won, Horizon: Chapter One differs by ending mid-story. There is not even a cliffhanger or a natural chapter ending; instead, the movie abruptly concludes with an awkward montage of the next installment. This gives the film the feeling of being incomplete, making it difficult to judge the movie fairly without seeing the entire arcs of the tales. In that specific sense, the film fails as a standalone feature.

What we do see, however, is riveting and entertaining, especially for fans of the genre. The performances and production values are of epic proportions, even if the episodic structure makes it feel like the setup for a much longer journey. It will be interesting to see how time treats the project once all the chapters have been released and a clear, complete story is revealed. I believe these films will eventually be re-evaluated as a complete tale and will likely be viewed much more favorably than they currently are. Until then, we are left with an incomplete story that leaves us looking forward to the next chapter.

🏆 Final Verdict

It is simply unfair to judge Chapter 1 in isolation; it fails as a standalone film but succeeds as a tantalizing introduction. Time will likely be kind to this project once the full saga is revealed and evaluated as a complete tale.

View original review on Letterboxd